Everyone loves to see a hen and chicks, especially in the spring with Easter just around the corner. The promise of new life is always exciting and there is also the hope that new chicks will be the best layers, the best table birds or even the best exhibition birds you’ve ever produced - but unfortunately this is often not the case. So although it is great to have fluffy chicks around we do need to think what will happen to them once grown.

For those who are planning to incubate some poultry for the first time, one of the most important things to remember is that you will probably end up with more cockerels than pullets.

What will happen to the excess numbers of males that you will breed?

Cockerels are fine until they reach the stage when they start crowing, then overnight they can be a problem if your neighbours object to the sound.

Even if you are lucky enough not to have a neighbour complaining, you may want to keep the best but the others – well, often they are put into a poultry auction or dispatched for the pot.

Many poultry keepers may think that the auction route is the kinder of the options but usually these birds end up being dispatched, having been stressed through experiencing a different environment and being handled by strangers. If you do not require the spare male birds then the kindest thing is to dispatch them as quickly and as humanely as possible.

The Human Slaughter Association provides leaflets to cover these necessities but it is best to be taught by someone with experience. Never attempt to kill any poultry without training beforehand as it is against the law to do so.

If you still want to breed some birds then a broody hen sitting on fertile eggs will do an excellent job. However, strong, healthy chicks will only be produced if they have been bred from healthy, well-fed adults.

Producing quality chicks begins long before the eggs are put into the incubator. It really starts when you decide on the birds you are breeding from and ideally, if they come from two different bloodlines.

Line breeding is often carried out – father to daughter etc, but it is not advisable to breed brother to sister, unless there are so few of the particular breed in the country that it is impossible to introduce a new strain.

The cockerel and hens all need to be equally fit, for the hens will not produce fertile eggs if the cockerel is off colour. Any birds that have had an antibiotic treatment will probably lose fertility for a while, so take this into consideration if you have clear eggs in the incubator.

Also, birds for breeding purposes should be fed a breeder ration so that sufficient amounts of among other things, minerals and calcium are provided to cope with egg production.

Eggs for hatching should be as fresh as possible.

They must be collected daily, stored in a cool, dry place and turned each day. Ideally eggs should only be stored for no more than seven to ten days and setting them under your broody all at the same time will mean you have chicks hatching off together.

Although it is possible for eggs to hatch after being stored for a longer period, the fertility declines with each day that passes. If intending to incubate later in the year beware of much warmer weather.

If the temperature rises to above 70 degrees F it is sufficient for the embryo to begin activity but fluctuations in the temperature between daytime and night mean it will not remain warm enough to continue the growth.

Therefore the embryo will die if the egg is laid on a very hot day and left in that environment for any length of time.

Hens need to lay a cycle of eggs before going broody so don't expect to have a broody early in the year.

Although exceptions to this rule do happen it is rare and you are more likely to have a broody – sometimes more than you want – later in the summer.

When allowing a broody hen to sit on a clutch of eggs, she will be doing most of the work and you don’t have to worry about turning the eggs as she turns them from time to time.

However, the broody herself has to be looked after or she will seriously lose condition by the end of the three week incubation. A quiet place is required where she will not be disturbed and where she is safe from other poultry and predators.

Even a large cardboard box on its side with shavings will suffice, if she is safely in a secure shed. If the box is on its side with the opening flaps slightly pulled together so that she is in rather dimmed light, it will help her to settle.

If you find a broody sitting on eggs under a hedge or elsewhere outside you must move her to a more secure place, even though there is a risk of her refusing to sit in the new area. Any broody sitting in the outside environment will become fox fodder.

The broody needs to be taken off her eggs once a day at a regular time. I usually take a broody off her nest at 2pm and it is surprising how they soon get used to this routine.

Put her in an enclosed run outside where she can take a drink, have some wheat and the chance to empty herself. This can take about 15 to 20 minutes, by which time she is ready to return to the nest. If she is anxious to get back to the eggs quickly and has had a drink and eaten, still wait until she has emptied herself because if not, nature will take its course and you do not want a soiled nest area, for if dirt gets onto the eggs bacteria could penetrate the shell and kill the embryo.

As long as the weather is reasonably warm the eggs will not come to any harm during this period. Cover them with some shavings if it is on the cold side. There is no problem with the eggs cooling but they should not be allowed to get cold.

Whilst checking the broody, you might find an egg that has been pushed to one side. Slide it under her again or put it back in the nest whilst she is off it. However, if the next day it is pushed again to the side then dispense with it as the hen has decided that there is something wrong with it and it is not going to hatch.

Make a note of the date when eggs are set under a broody hen. You then know when they should be pipping and subsequently hatch. A broody hen will give you a clue if her eggs are pipping, for she will begin to talk to the chicks by gently clucking.

During the pipping stage do not interfere, leave her to quietly get on with it and do not try to take her off the eggs. She will not want to leave her newly hatching chicks and taking warmth away from the eggs at this stage will do them no good at all. Also, if any chicks have already hatched they will cheep pitifully for the broody hen.

Next day you should be able to check underneath her to see what she has. Take the broken egg shells away and if she still has unhatched eggs she will usually sit on them for another day.

There will come a time though when she decides that what is left is not going to hatch and she gets up and moves around, concentrating on her living chicks. During the time that she is still sitting, put a small lipped drinker and some chick crumbs down for the chicks to explore.

The broody will also happily live on chick crumbs for a while. Do not be tempted to put pellets or wheat down for her because she may well invite the chicks to peck around her and such large pieces could become stuck in a tiny chick’s throat. When the broody is no longer sitting give her a clean box or empty out her coop so that the bedding is clean and dry. If the hen and chicks can have access to short grass during mild sunny days they should grow extremely well.

But if the weather is cold and windy then the chicks are better in housing until they have feathered up properly. A broody will keep the chicks warm but there is little point in them being under her for most of the day because they are cold, when they could be inside in the warm, running around and feeding well.

The broody will also be less stressed because she will not be worried about trying to keep her chicks comfortable.

To contact the Humane Slaughter Association call 01582 831919 or e-mail: info@hsa.org.uk.